TAMPA — The Bruins have been here before: Game 6 on the road, a chance to close out a series after an emotional win at home.
That was the scenario in the opening round against Montreal, and that sixth game at the Bell Centre didn't quite go as planned. The Bruins got into penalty trouble all night, with Milan Lucic getting ejected for a boarding major and the Canadiens scoring their only two goals on a pair of 5-on-3 advantages for a 2-1 win.
Now the Bruins are in another Game 6 on the road with a 3-2 series lead, and the stakes are even higher with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals on the line Wednesday night in Tampa. They overcame that Game 6 setback in Montreal back at home, but they don't want to repeat that experience in this round. And they hope the lessons learned against the Canadiens will help them close out this series a little more efficiently.
"Any time that you're playing against a team that's fighting for their lives, it's always a little harder to win, especially in their rink, their building with their crowd," Bruins forward Brad Marchand said. "Sometimes nerves can get the best of you. Playing Montreal in Game 6 in their building, it was tough. It's a tough building to win in, a tough atmosphere. That was the game Looch got kicked out and that was a big loss for us. So there were a couple tough scenarios to be in.
"It was a situation we hadn't been in before and we didn't know what to expect," Marchand added. "Now I think being through it one time we have a better understanding of what we have to do and how we have to play."
Bruins coach Claude Julien certainly hopes his club has learned its lesson from that game in Montreal. They certainly did a better job against Philadelphia in the second round, rolling to a 5-1 win in Game 4 as they wasted no time eliminating the Flyers in their first opportunity to end that series. He hopes to see a similar resolve form his team Wednesday against the Lightning.
"You can take all kinds of situations and use it to your benefit, and that's one of them," Julien said. "I think we felt ready [in Game 6 against Montreal], but obviously it didn't happen. And there was some penalties in that game that hurt us. I think it's just a matter of, again, learning from experience. And the other part is you get experience from being in those situations and we've had that opportunity. So it's a chance to show that you've grown from that and that you're a better team for it."
What Marchand, a rookie playing in his first postseason, has learned most is the price you must pay to advance in the playoffs.
"I think the biggest thing is how teams battle when they're fighting for their lives," Marchand said. "What they're willing to sacrifice and put their bodies through. We have to make sure we do that exact same thing. If we're not willing to put our bodies through the same suffering, then they're going to come out on top."
